


Freeze

by Lesserknownhero



Series: 31 moments with you [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bucky is charmed by the awkwardness, Clint is a Disaster, First Meetings, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Meet-Cute, Modern Bucky Barnes, Modern Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Sam needs better friends, Steve is Awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 03:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20900720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesserknownhero/pseuds/Lesserknownhero
Summary: Steve seeks dating help from Clint and SamBucky is waiting for Steve to make a moveNatasha actually gets sh*t done





	Freeze

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 prompt- Freeze
> 
> All mistakes are mine all characters belong to their creators.

“What do I even say?”

“Oh my god, seriously?!”

Steve stared at Sam who stared back torn between incredulity and frustration. 

Somehow life had seen fit to make the greatest soldier in history, the bravest man he’d ever met, Captain Freakin’ America, his best friend. It was amazing 95% of the time. The other 5%? It was infuriating. Because Captain America was Steve Rogers and Steve Rogers is a dumbass.

“Traditionally it goes, greeting, self-introduction, then polite compliment or question,” Clint said. 

Steve nodded like this was useful intel. Sam tried to figure out if they were fucking with him. He really hoped they were fucking with him but Clint’s face was nothing but corn-fed Iowan earnestness and Steve was doing that good old boy charm thing, Sam wanted to smack them both. 

His friends were idiots. 

“In my opinion though,” Clint continued, “I’d skip tradition and just go ask him if you can climb him like a tree. He’s certainly got the thighs for it.” 

Steve blushed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was wearing a shoulder hugging grey henley, well-worn jeans that hung low on his hips a little and work boots. It was so unlike Captain America that they’d managed to sit in the diner unnoticed for 40 whole minutes. It also made Steve look like an off duty underwear model and Sam would feel jealous except Steve was genuinely a great guy who happened to be hot. It was hard to be mad at him. 

  


“Unless you prefer to be the tree,” Clint said after a quiet moment of thought.

“I enjoy both,” Steve said matter of factly. 

Clint gave Steve a fist bump. Sam slurped his coffee.

“Please stop talking Barton,” he said setting his cup down, “Steve. Just go over there and be yourself. Not Cap. Not raised in a barn farm boy,” he shot Clint a disapproving look, “Just Steve.”

Steve groaned and spun his empty glass slowly between his palms. 

“Just Steve is an awkward mess,” he admitted, “You remember what happened at the gala? With that lawyer?” 

Sam grimaced. That had been a disaster. Steve had introduced himself to the hotshot lawyer friend of Pepper’s after she’d already introduced them to one another an hour before, then he’d gotten so nervous that a simple, what do you do during your downtime question had turned into a long-winded info dump about integrating into the new century that had left the guy thinking Steve was full of himself. Steve’d also stepped on his toes during a slow waltz. 

“Look,” Sam said, “Forget about the lawyer. Stay in the moment and just don’t freeze.”

Natasha slid into the booth beside Clint and all three men tried to look like she hadn’t surprised them. The last anyone had heard, she was on a mission in the south of France not breezing around Brooklyn in a peach-colored jersey dress and Chuck Taylor's, spying on her friends in a diner. 

“Your window is closing,” she said sipping the end of Clint’s coke, “His shift ends in four minutes.”

“I’m panicking,” Steve admitted. 

“You’re gorgeous and kind and getting up right now to ask him to pizza and movie Thursday night,” Nat said, “You’ll meet him outside the Nitehawk at seven.”

Steve nodded and stood up. 

Those were orders. He was good at following directions, it helped him get out of his head and past the self-doubt that still plagued him from a lifetime of being not enough. 

Steve shuffled across the black and white checkered floor to the wide counter where the handsome brunet who made him pastrami on rye on Tuesdays after therapy was working. He never commented on how he saw Steve the same day each week though he did tease him a bit about how he only ordered the same thing. 

“We got a whole menu pal,” he’d said early that day, “You sure you don’t want to see it?”

Steve had blushed a little but shaken his head, “I like what I like,” he said with a smile. 

Bucky, that was the brunet’s name, had smiled back. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he’d said, “Nothing wrong with that at all.”

Now Steve was trying to summon up a little of that easygoing banter again, it was like girding himself for battle in a way. 

_ Focus on the objective. _ Steve told himself, _ Say hi, ask him out, be polite. Don't. Freeze. _

Bucky was wiping his hands with a paper towel when steve made it over to him. He’d taken off the white half apron and was only in his tight red tee, jeans, and sneakers. There was a leather jacket draped over his forearm though and Steve wanted to swoon. 

“Hey Buck,” he said without thinking. 

“Heya Stevie,” Bucky said grinning, “I was hoping you’d come say hi before I left.”

“You were?”

“Sure,” Bucky said with a shrug, “I’ve been giving you eyes for weeks and was starting to give up hope but then I saw the way you were lookin’ at me when you were eating that piece of pie earlier and well, a look like that’ll give a man ideas.”

Steve’s face was on fire. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. 

“Don’t be,” Bucky said, “That is unless you aren’t gonna ask me out.”

“No, I’m going to! I mean, I am. Right now, this is me asking you out.”

Bucky chuckled, it was warm and infectious enough that it made Steve laugh too. He was so dramatic sometimes that he wanted to kick his own ass. At least Bucky didn’t seem to be put off by it. 

“Damn it, I’ve fought in wars, this shouldn’t be this hard,” Steve muttered when they both calmed a little. 

Bucky put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.“You’re doing swell pal,” Bucky said, “Trust me, I’m enjoying this.”

The gentle teasing was surprisingly comforting and Steve found himself finally able to take a calm breath. 

“Thanks, jerk,” he said with a smile, “Wanna have pizza and beer with me Thursday? Maybe a movie after?”

“Hell yea,” Buck said leaning forward to kiss Steve’s cheek, “Gimme your phone and I’ll give you my number.”

Steve slid it out of his back pocket and unlocked it with his thumbprint before handing it over. Bucky punched his number in quick and texted himself so he’d have Steve’s too. 

He gave the phone back and surprised Steve with a peck on the lips, “Call me,” he said, “Especially if you decide you wanna give your friend’s tree idea a try. I also enjoy both.”

It felt like his stomach dropped to his toes then skyrocketed back into place. His face, neck, and ears were warm but none of that mattered as Bucky winked at him then pulled on his coat and walked out the door. 

“What did I say about freezing?!” Sam called over.

Steve snatched up his jacket and went after Bucky. 

The following Tuesday Steve didn’t stop into the diner for his weekly pastrami on rye. 

“Where’s your friend?” the waitress, Darcy, asked Sam as she took his and Clint’s orders.

“He had a- um, a- ow! A _ tree _ appointment, today,” Clint said as Sam kicked him hard under the table.

“Weird,” Darcy said, “My boss Bucky, said something similar when he called in this morning.”

Sam choked on his water.

End.

**Author's Note:**

> This is crap but I wanted to keep my posting streak alive so I posted it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting. 
> 
> I'll try to do better with tomorrow's prompt.


End file.
